


Our Constellation

by Chiko152



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24424009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiko152/pseuds/Chiko152
Summary: Maki struggles to come to terms with the fact that μ's is ending. Thankfully her responsible senior Nico is there to help.
Relationships: Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Nishikino Maki/Yazawa Nico
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	Our Constellation

As they all arrived at the house, they knew it was the last time something like this would happen. It was an unspoken consensus amongst the group.

“So what kind of training do you have planned?” Kotori asked, as they all entered Maki’s vacation home. Umi looked at Maki, expectantly.

“I thought maybe we could just enjoy ourselves,” Maki’s response elicited a slightly more judgemental stare from Umi and a sigh of relief from Hanayo and Honoka.

“Cmon Umi! Can’t we have a little break.” Honoka pleaded, giving her cutest puppy dog eyes.

Umi’s face lightened, her lips moving into a smile. It had been almost a full year, but Honoka’s infectious smile and enthusiasm still impressed Maki.

“She’s right you know, after all this is going to be the last time that it’s going to be like this.” Eli’s face was stern and serious. There was nothing else to say. Everyone remembered what had happened on the beach and they all knew that their time was limited.

Honoka broke the silence. “Let’s have some fun!”

* * *

Despite Umi’s insistence that mountaineering was a fun activity, or Nico insisting on showing one of her idol videos on her phone, they all eventually agreed on a game of hide and seek. The rules were simple, they could only hide inside the house and the seeker had thirty minutes to find everyone. 

Maki ended up being the seeker. After everyone had hidden away Maki opened her eyes and began to look for them. Walking into the kitchen first, she found Honoka quite quickly, as well as Kotori, who was right by Honoka’s side. It was probably the fact that she wasn’t exactly the quietest member of μ's. When Maki found her she was eating some of the snacks that she had out for visitors, with a guilty expression on her face. She walked back to the main area after she had been caught, loudly proclaiming how good Maki was at the game, with Kotori right behind her.

“Where’s Umi?” Maki asked.

“She said she was going to hide somewhere else, I’m sure you’ll find her though.” Kotori said.

After checking a few other rooms, Maki happened upon the study. After walking in and checking to see if they were behind the door she turned around to see Rin pounce on her.

“Got you!” Rin said. Maki paused for a bit, before realising that she was in fact the seeker.

“You know that Maki’s meant to catch  _ you _ Rin-chan,” Rin’s face fell, as did Hanayo’s when she realised she had revealed her own location as well.

“I’m sorry Kayo-chin, our hiding spot was so good, I’m sorry I messed it up,” guilt crossed Rin’s face.

Hanayo smiled at Rin. Rin lightened up again. “You’ll never find Nico-chan though. She said she was-” Rin’s mouth was covered up by Hanayo “-never mind. She’s super hidden though.”

Umi was decently easy to find, hiding herself behind a houseplant that was far too thin to actually conceal her.

Maki had just about searched every room, only a few were left now. There were only around ten minutes left in the game now and the third years really had kept themselves hidden far better than everyone else. She could hear a noise coming from one of the guest bedrooms and walked over to investigate. She saw Nozomi and Eli embracing each other. As they both saw Maki walk through the door they froze up, like two very gay deer in the headlights.

If this was the first time Maki had walked in on them, she probably would’ve frozen up as well. However by the tenth time, she was starting to get a bit less embarrassed and more just disappointed at the two of them.

“I-I can explain,” Eli spluttered out, with a visible blush on her cheeks. 

“What’s the point of keeping this a secret. I’m pretty sure everyone in μ's already knows at this point.” In contrast to Eli’s shocked face, Maki had a neutral expression, with a slight hint of disappointment.

“You’re right Maki, there’s no point in concealing your feelings for someone who you love so much. Isn’t that right?” Nozomi said. Maki wasn’t sure who she was asking for confirmation of that.

The two of them scurried over to the main room with the rest of the people who had been caught. Nozomi looked back to Maki and winked.

* * *

After that was done, only Nico was left. She walked into the last room she hadn’t checked yet. She looked around the room, then she opened the closet and Nico was there. 

“Just before you catch me, Nico has a surprise for her Maki-chan, something I want to tell you now that it’s just us,” Maki knew Nico was plotting something, but she decided to play along with it.

“What is it then?” It wasn’t like Maki cared about what Nico had to say. She just wanted to be nice to her for a change. The fact that she could feel her heart race was probably just because of all the adrenaline flowing through her system from beating Nico at something. Nothing there to read into at all!

“Close your eyes for a second and Nico will show you her secret~,” Maki complied. As she opened her eyes again and Nico was nowhere to be seen she realised, she had been duped.

She ran out of the room to see Nico running down the hallway and passing around a corner.

“What was that for?”

She kept running, easily catching up with Nico until she was just in arms reach of her. Nico sped up, trying to run away from her. Just as Maki was so frustratingly close to Nico the gap widened and she realised she had to chase after Nico. To win the game of hide and seek, of course.

“When are you going to stop running away?”

“When I win this game.”

As they ran across another stretch of hallway Maki picked up the pace, arm outstretched, ready to hold onto Nico. She could feel her hand touch Nico’s shoulder. It felt right.

“Got you.” Maki wanted to keep holding onto Nico.

* * *

As the sun began to set the nine of them were all lying down on the grass. Nico complained about how touchy-feely Nozomi and Eli were being and moved over to the other side, the side that Maki happened to be on. Soon they were lying next to each other, Maki could see the rise and fall of her small chest, probably from what had happened just prior.

Maki continued staring at Nico, hoping she wouldn’t notice. As it began to get dark Eli beckoned the group in to go to sleep.

As she lied in her futon Maki realised that she couldn’t sleep. There was a storm of thoughts in her mind. The third years were so close to graduating. She wasn’t sure how she would function without Eli’s maturity and dancing talent, or without Nozomi’s advice and spirit. She would even miss Nico, and how they bickered. Truthfully not even Maki could understand what drew her to Nico, it was some invisible force, some unspoken connection but she had at least grown to respect Nico, not that she would ever admit it to her face though.

She thought about how uncertain her own future was. Being a Nishikino meant she had big shoes to fill. She wondered if she would ever be ready.

Maki snuck out of her futon and took the telescope in her room. Maki’s parents bought her the telescope and kept it here because this home was far more remote than her house in the city. It meant that she could see the stars more clearly. 

She found a nice mound of grass that she could lie on top of and put the telescope to her eye. She could feel the stillness of the springtime air.The first thing she did was try and look for the North star. It was always fixed at the same point in the sky. She remembered reading about sailors looking at the stars to guide them. Maybe that was what she needed right now.

* * *

Maki’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“I never knew you were into stargazing Maki-chan,” Nico said, quietly. She had a look of relief on her face.

Nico didn’t look her best, she was still in her garishly pink and fluffy pyjamas and she didn’t even have her ribbons in her hair.

“Don’t look at me like that. Aren’t you excited you get to see the cutest star of them all?” Nico teased. 

“Why are you awake?” Maki asked.

“I could ask you the same question. After all, Nico was looking all around for you.” Nico paused momentarily, anticipating a response and then continued on. “Nico just had some bad dreams, that’s all.”

“I’ve been thinking about our future. Once this is all over.” 

Nico took the telescope from her hands and lifted it to her eye. She looked around for a bit until she pointed up at the sky.

“That’s Orion. Every night people look to the night sky and they see it.” Maki honestly expected Nico to not know what a constellation was. Her voice was serious, and without the ribbons in her hair she actually seemed like Maki’s senior.

“I don’t get what that has to do with anything.”

“One day we’ll be immortalised, just like the constellations.” Maki thought that was oddly profound, coming from Nico. As much as she played up her idol persona, behind the mask Maki could see a genuine Nico. Someone who was kind and caring but was also intelligent and fiercely passionate.

Nico put down the telescope and lay down beside her on the grassy mound of earth. Moments of silence passed as Maki saw Nico’s hand next to hers, and how close they were. Nico pointed up again.

“We can have our own constellation, for all of μ's. Obviously, Nico would be the brightest star of them all though.”

Maki looked up at the region of sky she was pointing at. She saw that amongst all the other stars, there was one that shone far brighter than the others. Normally she would be averse to Nico’s constant boasting, but something was different.

“You know that’s a binary star right? That’s not just one star.”

“Maybe Maki-chan can shine with me then. I’m sure you’d love that.” Nico teased.

Maki looked over to Nico. “I wouldn’t mind it.” She paused. “I mean someone has to keep your ego in check.”

“You’d have an ego if you were as adorable as Nico-Nii.”

Maki was too tired to come up with a response. They stayed in the silence of the night for a little longer, until Maki let out a yawn.

“Go to sleep Maki-chan,” Nico said, with sisterly concern. They walked back over to Maki’s vacation house, making sure to keep their steps quiet.

“Thank you Nico.” Maki whispered, as she lied down on her futon.

As Maki drifted off to sleep she replayed the interaction they had just had in their head. Nico was oddly tender and less annoying. It was just so  _ weird _ . Sure she still had her cutesy idol persona, but she also seemed more genuine. Nico knew her stuff about this, which was a stark contrast to how she was in class, according to Nozomi. Maybe it was just them both being tired, maybe Maki was just reading into it too much, but she wished that she could lie down and talk about the stars with Nico again.

She wished she could look up and always see Nico.

* * *

Maki had just graduated the year prior. It was her first year of University and her summer exams were on the horizon. Once again Maki couldn’t sleep. Taking out her telescope she walked out to her apartment’s balcony. The air was still, and the sounds of the city had mostly died down. She looked out at the night sky again.

She scanned around, looking for constellations and she remembered a night not unlike this one. It had only been a few years and Maki already yearned for those days. She knew they were all only a phone call away, but she missed all of them. She missed them all being together, without the hectic and clashing schedules they all had.

She found it again. Their constellation, more faded from all the lights of the city. Her star. Nico’s star.  _ Their star _ . One day they would all be back together. Probably when they were all a bit older, with more settled lives.

As Maki’s thoughts once again settled down she went back into her apartment bed and dreamed of the stars, and of the radiant girl she wanted to share the stars with.

Across Tokyo, Nico was also watching their star. Waiting for the audition that might be her big break.

Both of them made a promise to the night sky that night.

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda came up with the title of the fic first and the rest kinda fell into place after that. Shoutouts to kirrans and CVL for reading over this for me as well as the kind and very attractive people over at the Idol Fanfic Hell server.


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